Hallsford Bridge Meadow, Ongar

Size: 3.0 hectares

Parish: Ongar

Grid reference: TL 56085 01952  

Owners: Epping Forest District Council

Access:  There is open unrestricted access across the site, with a public footpath (Ongar 37) crossing the site (north/south)

Site Description: Hallsford Bridge Meadow lies to the west of the River Roding and to the south east of Marden Ash on the edge of the Epping Forest District. Consisting of around 70% grassland and 30% scrub an old hedgerow makes up it western boundary.

The interesting grassland contains occasional Cowslip, Black knapweed and Birds-foot trefoil and can also boast a small number of the opportunistic Bee Orchid. The meadow  already supports very high numbers of butterflies with 18 different species recorded to date on a yearly basis. The rarer species include small heath and brown argus. Due to the sites proximity to the River Roding the site has abundant White legged damselfly and Banded demoiselles. Other common invertebrates on site include Dark bush cricket, Meadow grasshopper, Roesel’s Bush-Cricket and Long-winged conehead. This site provides invertebrates with the rough pasture and encroaching scrub which is required at different stages of their life cycle.

Past History : With assistance from Dr Tim Gardener, old maps and using records from Essex County Council and Epping Forest District Council we have been able to piece together a rough picture of how the land has been managed for the last 100 years.

The site is probably best described as post industrial in that it was once home to Ongar Town's sewerage treatment works. Built in the late 1890s it was operational for about thirty years from 1902 to 1932, after which time it was "cleared" and "buried" and put back to grassland.   

In the 1950’s rights of way records describe the site as rough grassland, indicating that the land had been put back to grassland following its use as a sewerage treatment plant. Having been relatively undisturbed for 70 years we can call the grassland  "semi unimproved’ grassland. Also in this passage the site is described as fenced with stiles at both ends, indicating that the site was grazed. Also we know from EFDC records the grazing rights of this site were requested by a local resident as late as 1994. Lastly, the adjacent landowners requested that the rabbits at Hallsford Bridge damaging their adjacent crops should be reduced in numbers! so clearly the rabbitts enjoy it and are doing a good job at keeping a low sward in patches. 

Management : Countrycare had known about this site for some years. However, it was not until December 2006, whilst clearing footpath 37, that the full potential of  “Hallsford Bridge Meadow” as an important grassland site became apparent.

Over the last couple of years work has been undertaken to reduce some of the scrub and sections of the grassland has been cut. Into the future we will try to preserve this mosaic of grassland and scrub by a combination of selective mowing and coppicing. See the news and events page for future project days.